Slip, tangential slip system having slip, and method thereof

A slip system comprising:

• a set of drive slips;
• a set of gripping slips operatively interengagable with the set of drive slips;
• a drive slip end ring in operable communication with the set of drive slips;
• and
• a gripping slip end ring in operable communication with the set of gripping slips, the end rings capable of transmitting a load applied in an axial direction of the system to the set of gripping slips and the set of drive slips to tangentially load the set of drive slips and the set of gripping slips against each other thereby increasing a radial dimension of the system;
• wherein at least one slip in the set of drive slips and the set of gripping slips is a keyed slip, the keyed slip including:
• a frame including an interior having first and second sides;
• and,
• a key having a first portion within the interior of the frame, the first portion having first and second sides, the first portion of the key movable within the interior of the frame;
• the key configured for movement from a set condition with at least a contact point of the first and second sides of the first portion of the key pushing against at least a portion of the first and second sides of the interior of the frame in the set condition, respectively, to an unset condition with the first and second sides of the first portion of the key releasing pressure from the first and second sides of the interior of the frame.

A method of managing a tangential load imparted by a tangential slip system, the tangential slip system including a set of drive slips and a set of gripping slips operatively interengagable with the set of drive slips, the method comprising:

• providing at least one keyed slip amongst the set of drive slips and the set of gripping slips, the at least one keyed slip having a frame and a first portion of a key movable within the frame;
• setting the at least one keyed slip by pushing at least one contact point of first and second sides of the first portion of the key against first and second sides of the frame;
• and,
• unsetting the at least one keyed slip by moving the key to release pressure from the first and second sides of the frame and at least partially remove a tangential load in the system.